The digital media and entertainment division of Alibaba will invest $7.2 billion in new content over the next three years. The CEO of Alibaba’s Digital Media and Entertainment Group, Yu Yongfu wrote in an internal email—the figure was later confirmed by a company spokesperson—that “he didn’t come to play,” according to Reuters.
A+E Networks acquires a majority stake in South Korean entertainment media powerhouse IHQ Inc. As part of the deal, A+E will purchase two local channels—FoodTV and TVIS—which, via a partnership with IHQ and its majority shareholder, D’Live Co. Ltd., will be widely distributed across a range platforms and rebranded as HISTORY and Lifetime.
BAMTech, which was formed out of the video wing of Major League Baseball’s MLB Advanced Media, has inked a $300 million deal with Riot Games through which it will distribute content based around the game developer’s hit title League of Legends.
Netflix is on track to produce 1,000 hours of original content in 2017, spanning TV and movies. New initiates include the unscripted competition series “Ultimate Beastmaster,” from executive producer Sylvester Stallone. Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos says there is ongoing testing into consumer products (t-shirts, action figures, etc.) revolving around original programs, including the series “Stranger Things.”
In licensing news, Hulu and Disney announce that more than 50 movies are coming to the streaming service. According to the Los Angeles Times, 56 titles in total will be added under the agreement, including Pocahontas, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Con Air.